Douluo: Qian Xunji's Joyful Life

Chapter 42: A Mindless Blade of Grass

"Ah Yin!!" x2

Knocked flying by a backhanded fist from Qian Xunji, Ah Yin's body tumbled a dozen meters through the air before landing in a patch of grass. Her blue dress flipped up, revealing most of her fair, slender legs and her safety shorts.

"Qian Xunji!!" x2

Tang Xiao and Tang Hao roared in fury. The Killing God Domain around Tang Hao intensified, its murderous intent practically forming a tangible presence. Two yellow, two purple, four black – eight spirit rings glowed beneath each man's feet as they activated their seventh rings, bringing forth their Tool Martial Avatars. Their Clear Sky Hammers swelled against the wind.

Faced with Qian Xunji, they soon presented two massive Clear Sky Hammers each the size of a small hill. Due to the difference in cultivation, Tang Xiao's hammer was slightly larger than Tang Hao's.

"You two aren't ready to fight me," Qian Xunji remarked calmly.

His ninth spirit ring lit up underfoot, both hands rising to form a strange gesture in front of his chest: thumbs connected, index fingers aligned, the other six fingers spread out like the wings of a six-winged angel.

Tang Xiao bellowed, "Be careful, Hao! That's his ninth spirit skill. A hundred-thousand-year ring's ninth skill is no joke!"

Hearing that, Tang Hao felt a chill. He'd witnessed Title Douluo-level ninth skills, like in Tang Zhen and Yu Yuanzhen's final clash—nine thunder dragons unleashing a terrifying pressure—but even that paled before a genuine hundred-thousand-year ring. The power must be astounding.

"Ninth Soul Skill: Angelic Annihilation Thunder."

A column of golden light erupted from Qian Xunji's hands, swirling with endless golden lightning. As the horrifying ninth skill took shape, Qian Xunji's legs dug in and slid backward, carving two deep trenches in the earth beneath him.

"Hao, now! Eighth Soul Skill!"

Tang Xiao's eighth ring lit up, his Clear Sky Hammer seeming to turn into a black sun.

"Great Sumeru Hammer!"

Tang Hao didn't use a soul skill – going all-out with the Great Sumeru Hammer exceeded any soul skill. Two colossal Clear Sky Hammers crashed against the golden light beam. Yet the massive explosion they imagined never arrived. The golden beam engulfed the hammers and pushed forward to swallow Tang Xiao and Tang Hao themselves.

"Ah––!!"

Inside the Angelic Annihilation Thunder, both men cried out in agony, feeling endless currents ravaging their bodies. It felt as though every cell was being tortured by bolts of lightning, swiftly dissolving their soul power and purifying it.

The halos beneath Tang Xiao and Tang Hao's feet vanished, their Clear Sky Hammers reverting within them. When the gold light dispersed, all that remained in front of Qian Xunji was a swath of scorched black ground—pitch-black in every direction, including Tang Xiao and Tang Hao themselves.

The Angelic Annihilation Thunder was effectively a bombardment of lightning waves seemingly condensed into a solid beam, yet in truth it was fluid. Anyone who tried to meet it head-on would find those countless electric arcs acting like water, engulfing and purifying the enemy's attacks. To block it, you either needed to be far away or to intercept it with enough power mid-attack. Otherwise, your last chance would be to unleash a strike capable of piercing the "liquid" thunder before Qian Xunji's angelic power fully purified it, forcing a mutual blow.

Hence, it was extremely effective against Tool Martial Soul masters on a first encounter, especially with the supplementary effect of angelic purification—practically unstoppable. Of course, like any skill, it had a flaw. Its sheer destructive force wasn't as high as one might assume; in the Douluo world, Titled Douluo bodies possessed formidable defenses. Tang Xiao and Tang Hao survived the brunt, albeit with their soul power thoroughly purged.

After striking them down, Qian Xunji made no move to kill them. First, he had no valid excuse. If he intended to kill Ah Yin, he might claim righteousness and slaughter Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, or at least cripple them. But he wasn't alone—he had the entire Wuhun Hall to consider. Ruining their reputation would wreck future profitable ventures.

Second, he didn't really see the Clear Sky Hammer as a threat. The mindless approach behind it was trivial in his eyes. He preferred letting them go, anticipating that once Tang Hao reached Titled Douluo he'd come seeking trouble. Then Qian Xunji could humiliate them again: Angel vs. Clear Sky, an easy victory.

Third, who could be certain whether Tang San might someday still be reborn into the Clear Sky Clan, inheriting a full spirit power Clear Sky Hammer? If that occurred, Qian Xunji planned to let him follow Tang Hao's path, only to finish him off at the critical moment. Without the Blood Swan Kiss, the clan's "Broken One" might supply sufficient poison – who knew? Another fiasco, but oh so entertaining.

With Tang Xiao and Tang Hao defeated, Qian Xunji waved a hand and summoned Ah Yin's unconscious body to him, letting her float at his side. Due to the split in her skirt, most of her thigh was visible. Suspended in midair, her graceful figure was fully in his sight. He looked her over with a puzzled expression, wondering how shapeshifting soul beasts decided on body measurements. Besides adjusting her face, could she "design" her figure?

Then, with Ah Yin in tow, Qian Xunji spread his wings and departed.

"Ah Yin… Qian Xunji..."

Although Tang Xiao and Tang Hao were not unconscious, they were completely paralyzed. Their soul power had been purified, leaving them incapable of even moving an eyelid or a finger. They could only watch in helpless fury as Qian Xunji flew off with Ah Yin.

"Where… am I?"

A while later, Ah Yin groggily opened her beautiful eyes, finding herself on a patch of incredibly soft grass. Odd fluctuations in the air made it sometimes hot, sometimes cold, sometimes both, saturated by a heavy medicinal scent.

"So beautiful!"

Eyes wide, Ah Yin gazed at a strange hot spring in front of her. Not large, but divided into two sections by milky white and bright red waters, they remained distinct on their own sides, never mingling. Under the alternating red and white steam, countless exotic herbs were growing in a lush array around the pools.

"That's Millennium Lingzhi… 800-year He Shou Wu… 700-year Ginseng… So many precious herbs. They'd be perfect for Brother Hao and Brother Xiao to raise their cultivation!"

Ah Yin was overjoyed, seeing the patch of rare medicinal plants so abundant in a single place.

Suddenly, she remembered, "Right—I was knocked out by that man called Qian Xunji. Brother Hao and Brother Xiao were fighting him."

"Are you talking about me?"

She spun around to see Qian Xunji standing behind her, his gaze scanning her with a hint of disdain.

"What a mindless blade of grass. Wonder if that affects the intelligence of your future offspring. But I suppose in this world, hardly anyone actually uses their brain anyway."

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen